LYNN SPEAKS TO GLOBALIZATION AT CENTER FOR NEW AMERICAN SECURITY CONFERENCE

The tasks ahead of us

ARLINGTON, VA, June 26, 2015 -- According to Lynn and Stavridis, it is time for the United States to make a fundamental shift in the way we handle defense technology.

Since the Cold War, we have ridden the coattails of the strategic brilliance surrounding our Cold War Offset Strategy, depending only on American defense conglomerates to develop and market the technology that protects our warfighters and our country.

But the world has changed, even if our strategy hasn’t.

The best technology doesn’t always come from the U.S. government anymore. Often, it comes from commercial technology businesses and our allies abroad. It’s time for the United States to become an importer — as well as an exporter — of these technologies, in order to remain technologically advanced.

The world has become more global. Violent extremism has spread throughout the world, refugees are dispersing rapidly, and even the most dangerous weapons can move discretely alongside these movements. We must fight global issues with stronger global alliances.

Our country is dependent on digital networks, which makes us extremely vulnerable to cyberattack. Meanwhile, new biotechnologies continue to emerge. We must decide where to invest in these new and growing segments in order to best leverage our resources. And find ways to understand and leverage them most effectively.

But most importantly, the difference is the way that all these factors come together to create a dynamic defense environment.

We hope to adapt to this changing environment, not with walls, but with bridges.

To get the rest of Lynn and Stravidis’ story, read the full CNAS Report: Creative Disruption: Task Force on Strategy, Technology and Global Defense Industry